Syracuse Football 12 in '12: #12 Nathaniel Hackett

Welcome to "Syracuse Football 12 in '12", a series ranking the 12 people that will influence the upcoming 2012 Syracuse University football season the most.

Hope you enjoy following along over the new week or so as we count down to the start of another SU Football season.

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On to the list.

#12 NATHANIEL HACKETT

The orders from the top are clear.

Frank Ordonez/ The Post Standard 2011

"For us to succeed offensively, we have to make more plays. We’ve generated more yardage but not at a rate we would probably like to but we haven’t generated more yards per play and that’s what’s keeping us back. We’re hoping with some of the changes we’ve made that we’re able to open it up and do some things where we have from a percentage standpoint the ability to make bigger plays per play. We have to make more plays, whether that’s at the quarterback position, running back position, tight end, receiver. We have to generate more plays."

That is just one quote from SU head coach Doug Marrone on what he wants his offense to do in 2012 (via ESPN's Andrea Adelson).

There have been several quotes like it since the end of last season in various interviews.

While Marrone has the resume as an offensive coordinator at the NFL level and certainly has influence over the offense, it is Nathaniel Hackett who has the shovel in his hand and has been charged with unearthing those big plays that were absent a year ago.

The Numbers:

*Syracuse's offense ranked fifth overall (348 yards per game) and seventh in scoring offense in the Big East last season. The Orange scored 24 points per game and generated 35 overall touchdowns. Rushing offense was sixth (120 yards per game) and passing offense was fourth in the league (222 yards per game).

One big positive in the team category was Syracuse led the Big East in third-down conversions (42%).

Despite the so-so overall team numbers, Syracuse had a top five performer in several individual categories.

*QB Ryan Nassib was third in the Big East in passing average per game (223 yards), third in total offense (227 yards), and fourth in passing efficiency (129.9). RB Antwon Bailey was a top three rusher (1051 yards) and fifth in all-purpose yards (1251). WR Alec Lemon ranked third in receptions per game (5.7) and fourth in receiving yards per game (69.5).

The numbers do drop off in one key Big East category.

Touchdowns.

You have to go to ninth on the list to find a Syracuse player. Antwon Bailey and Nick Provo tied there with seven TD's each in league play.

*Nationally, Syracuse ranked 90th in total offense (348 yards per game), 84th in scoring (24 points per game), 82nd in first downs (228), 65th in passing offense (227 yards per game), and 95th in rushing (120 yards per game).

Yuck.

Despite the evidence above that the offense was in a funk, it is noteworthy that several offensive records were set at SU last season.

*Ryan Nassib finished the season with 2,685 passing yards, which broke the SU record for passing yards in a season previously held by Marvin Graves in 1993. He also tied the Syracuse record for touchdown passes in a season (22), sharing the mark with Don McPherson and Donovan McNabb. Nassib also had 259 completions, which is an Orange record, and that represents the fourth-highest season total in Big East history

*Alec Lemon had 68 catches, a new Syracuse single-season record.

*Antwon Bailey became SU's all-time leader in receiving yards by a running back (706 yards).

But it may be this record right here that will raise the most criticism from the Syracuse fan base on what needs to change in the offense.

*Nick Provo became the Orange’s all-time leader in catches by a tight end. Provo finished his career with 92 receptions for 1,027 yards, breaking Chris Gedney’s previous record of 91 career catches.

Now, come on. When you have a great weapon like Nick Provo, you use the guy. Period.

But the perception became bigger and bigger as the season progressed that Hackett and Nassib became too reliant on Provo.

Was that an offensive line issue? Perhaps. Syracuse gave up 29 sacks a year ago, ranking 90th in the country in that department.

So how does Hackett get the offense going in the other direction and obey the command of generating more big plays? A few points.

Frank Ordonez/ The Post Standard 2011

1. The key could be the return of WR Marcus Sales. He gives Hackett's offense the deep threat they desperately need to provide the big plays they seek and open things up for other playmakers.

While the spring game was a lesson in futility for the offense overall, Sales and QB Ryan Nassib provided a few highlights in that game connecting on 30-yard and 38-yard passes and seemed to be right back in synch with each other.

The health of WR Alec Lemon will be huge as well as he recovers from an upper-body injury that kept him out of spring practice.

How Hackett creatively utilizes speedy weapons like Jarrod West, Jeremiah Kobena, and Adrian Flemming will be interesting to watch as well.

While a lot of details were kept under lock and key in a closed spring practice, one thing Marrone has noted is that the quarterback has been given more freedom to run the ball in this offense. A glance at the future of the position and the types of athletes Syracuse recruited at QB (Ashton Broyld, John Kinder, Terrel Hunt, Zach Allen) tells you that.

But how comfortable are you with Ryan Nassib running the ball 5-8 times a game...on purpose? I think Hackett needs to be very careful here. Losing Nassib to injury on a roll out play would be crushing for this team. Charlie Loeb, John Kinder, or Terrel Hunt just aren't ready to be the guy.

3. Ashton Broyld.

The Syracuse coaches are trying hard to downplay the expectations on Broyld, but make no mistake about it, this kid is a weapon and will be on the field this year. His 60-yard catch and run in the spring game showed what he is capable of.

How Hackett manages to get Broyld on the field, but also manages how much the kid can handle in his freshman year, will be a tough balancing act.

4. The right side of the offensive line.

While this is more Doug Marrone and Greg Adkins' department to work on, it obviously affects Hackett's ability to generate more big plays if the offensive line does not give Nassib time to throw the ball.

The left side is solid with LT Justin Pugh and LG Zach Chibane returning. But the right side will be all-new with the departure of RG Andrew Tiller (now in the NFl with New Orleans) and RT Michael Hay (who was picked up by St.Louis as an NFL free-agent). While there has been some improvement in his game, I think the jury is still out on Macky McPherson at center as well.

Hackett has the trust of Marrone and has a strong reputation in coaching circles, both college and the NFL. In my time with the Buffalo Bills Radio Network, I heard a lot of glowing reports, unsolicited I might add, about Hackett from NFL people when they discovered I also covered Syracuse.

The question is will Hackett gain the trust of the Syracuse fan base and match the results on the field with his reputation and namesake (his father is Paul Hackett, a long-time NFL Coordinator and former head coach at USC).